Battle at the Crossroads
The Battle at the Crossroads was a battle that took place on the crossroads in a field between Easy Company and two German companies from the perspective of Captain Winters. Pre-Battle The men are resting at night when Joe Liebgott comes in with his patrol and tells the men how they encountered a German machine gun nest and was attacked, himself hit in the neck and arm, another soldier in the leg and the other one severely wounded by a grenade blast. Winters calls for the men to find the German position and neutralise it. Lipton has first squad on their feet and ready to move. Roe stays behind to treat the wounded soldier. Skirmish When they arrive at the area, Winters scouts over the road to see if they can see any Germans. Seeing it is clear, he calls the rest forward. They quickly notice a German patrol on the other end of the road heading back to what appears to be a small platoon of soldiers. Feeling they can take them, Winters has the mortar squad take position ready to engage, the machine gun team ready to give them covering fire and the rest to go with him to the other side to surprise the Germans. Once there, he gives each man a target to shoot as well as telling them to wait for his signal. Eventually Winters fires and they proceed to kill all of the patrol. Winters calls for them to fall back but Liebgott doesn't move until his magazine in his rifle is empty. The mortars and machine gunners open fire as the men fall back. Once there p, the men dig in and enter a night long fire fight. By morning Winters realises the opposition thinks they are dead and have ceased firing. Knowing this is the perfect moment, he orders the squad to do a charge on the position. They all fix their bayonets to their rifles. Winters tells them to go on the red a smoke as he takes out a smoke grenade. He throws it and heads out first. The men try to go but are held back by the NCO's as the red smoke hadn't rose yet. It eventually does and the men run out into the field. The Germans still don't fire as Winters closes in on their position. When he does so, the first thing he sees is a young German soldier. He instinctly shoots the boy then proceeds to spray his ammunition at the enemy. When his magazine empties, he kneels down, reloads, then resumes firing, this time aiming. While firing, another company of Germans appear, leading the men to panic and fire faster to stop the Germans from attacking them. The men clear a small trench on the hill in which Private Webster translates that's the men say they are Polish only for NCO Martin to say other wise. The men fianlly, reach the position and open fire. Winters goes to radioman George Luz to call in artillery fire on the field. One soldier goes to head back to the mortar crew to tell them to come up to the position but is caught in a short mortar round and is injured. The men pull the soldier to cover. The mortars also hit Webster, injuring his shin, leaving him shouting "Fuck, they got me!". The men take the hill having only eleven prisoners. Aftermath The men relax after succeeding in taking the position. Winters goes over to Liebgott, who has been firing not stop at the dying Germans. He tells him to knock it off and to take the prisoners back to Battalion CP. however, he realises Joe would shoot them given an excuse so he forces him to drop his ammunition, leaving a single round. Knowing his won't shoot them since he doesn't have the ammo to deal with the Germans if they jump him, he lets him go. Colonel Sink soons approaches Winters and tells him that what he achieved was impressive and that he will now become battalion Executive Officer, saying Lt. Hylieger will take over Easy Company. Winters agrees with the decision to have Hylieger take command though he looks at his company, overcome with almost unshown grief at having lost his company. Medic Eugene Roe approaches him and gives him coffee. Winters thanks him and begins to rest like the rest of the men, although he finds himself thinking about the young soldier he had just shot without hesitation. Category:Battles